'Malaysia sports school' may be set up for northern states

The Education Ministry is mulling establishing a ‘Malaysia sports school’ for youth in northern states, with the aim of nurturing young sports talents in the region. Its minister, Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid, said the ministry will be holding talks with the Economic Planning Unit (EPU) under the Prime Minister's Department to discuss the matter, in particular, the budget for the proposed project.

KULIM: The Education Ministry is mulling establishing a ‘Malaysia sports school’ for youth in northern states, with the aim of nurturing young sports talents in the region.

Its minister, Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid, said the ministry will be holding talks with the Economic Planning Unit (EPU) under the Prime Minister's Department to discuss the matter, in particular, the budget for the proposed project.

"We are not talking about building a new school – the plan is to convert an existing school which fits the criteria, so that we do not have to spend a fortune in building a new school," he said.

Mahdzir spoke during a press conference after launching the state-level national tennis development programme at SMK Taman Jelutong here today.

As of now, there are five Malaysia sports schools nationwide, namely Bukit Jalil for the Klang Valley, Pahang and Terengganu for the east coast, Johor for the southern region and Sabah for East Malaysia.